CAA held a press conference at Educare Arizona to present the hundreds of postcards we received over the past few weeks through the Campaign for Change. These postcards were sent from parents and grandparents, children and students, business leaders and community volunteers who wrote messages to Governor Ducey about the need for state policies and budgets that are better for children, families, and our economic future.

Ruth Ellen Elinksi from the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth and panel members. Courtey photos

Joining me at (the June 10) press conference were John Scola of Educare Arizona, who hosted the event, Ruth Ellen Elinksi from the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth, and Liane Hernandez from YWCA of Southern Arizona. All of us sounded the alarm that we can’t achieve our goals for education and child safety until we change our budget priorities. Liane spoke strongly about the harm that will be caused by the new 12-month cap on TANF benefits for the poorest mothers and children and the enormous need for quality, affordable child care; Ruth Ellen pointed out how much more Arizona can do to help kids enter Kindergarten prepared for success and asked our leaders to think about child safety as going far beyond one state agency. John highlighted the array of educational resources they are able to provide at Educare resources that every preschooler should be able to access.

A photo of the post cards prior to the media conference

My remarks were based on the key message in each of the 750+ postcards: Governor Ducey should be a leader for children and families. His recent plan to ask voters to direct more land trust funds to public education is a first step toward a more responsible fiscal plan and an important recognition that we need to commit more resources to help children thrive. There is a lot more work to do.

One of the postcards we received was sent from a 10-year-old girl, Patricia. She wrote “I am the future of AZ, ten years in the making. Invest in my future because one day I will invest in yours.” I couldn’t have said it any better.